


A Very Late Christmas Card

by TwilightSiren



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Cards, Christmas Party, Crying, Family, Friendship, Love, M/M, Married Couple, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28294590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightSiren/pseuds/TwilightSiren
Summary: A card comes into the mail fifty years late and opens up some memories from a life long lost
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan
Kudos: 14





	A Very Late Christmas Card

**Author's Note:**

> It's the holidays!!!! Woooohoooo! I wasn't originally planning on writing anything special, but I decided last minute why not? I have three Xmas romance one-shots for you all to read and enjoy. They are going to be focused on my top three favorite kpop groups. I won't list them, but you can all guess who they are. Whoever guesses correctly wins a prize! Lol. JK. You can still guess in the comments though. Anyway, this first one-shot takes place in the future. Let's say...fifty years from now. The ship is Jicheol and will include some other ships from this group too...which sort of spoils what one of my fav kpop groups are, but whatever. It's Christmas themed, a bit sad, but also very sweet. I hope you enjoy it.

Chan closes the door as he slips back into the house with a bunch of envelopes in his hands. He shuffles through them, glancing at the send address and seeing who each letter is from. He's so focused on them that he doesn't notice as his father grabs them all from him and tuts. "Come on, Channie, you shouldn't go through your parents' mail," Jeonghan teases, "What if you find something bad in there?"

Chan scoffs, "What would I even find, appa? They're probably all Christmas cards anyway..." 

"You never know, Chan-ah," Joshua says as he walks over, garbed in a oversized Christmas sweater, "Your appa may have a very deep, dark secret..." Jeonghan chuckles at this and moves to stand beside his significant other. He wraps his arms around Joshua's waist and squeezes him gently. "Hello, love," Jeonghan hums, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Joshua smiles, "Hello, angel..."

"Gross," Chan states before walking away, leaving the two men laughing in amusement, "I'll be in the kitchen prepping dinner for the party tonight if you need me!" Joshua reaches for the stack of letters and Jeonghan passes it to him. "You don't really have any secrets, do you?" Joshua asks with a soft smile on his lips. 

Jeonghan grins, "Of course not. They are most definitely cards from our friends." Joshua nods and hums underneath his breath as he starts to open one of the envelopes. He slips the card out from inside and turns it around to look at it. His eyes widen when he sees who is on the card. He lets out a breath before dropping the entire stack of envelopes and the card that shocked him so much. Joshua brings his hands to cover his mouth and he shakes his head in disbelief. "Shua? What's wrong?" Jeonghan questions in a concerned tone. He releases his hold on his waist and latches onto his shoulders. He scans Joshua up and down, trying to see if he's hurt in any way. "I'm fine," Joshua says, "I'm okay. Just really surprised..."

"Surprised?" Jeonghan says in confusion. He lets go of Joshua after the other reassures him again that he isn't in pain or anything like that. "Is everything alright?" Chan asks as he peeks into the living room from the kitchen, having overheard the commotion. 

"Yes, yes, don't worry," Joshua says as he bends down to pick up the rest of the envelopes. He places them on a side table, but keeps a hold of the card that he has already opened up. He holds it delicately in his hand and shows it to Jeonghan, "Look." Jeonghan glances down at the card and his mouth falls open in shock. "Is that?" Jeonghan questions.

Joshua nods his head, "Don't you remember? We never got their card that year. It got lost in the mail..."

"I do...I...how is this possible?" Jeonghan asks.

Joshua shrugs, "I don't know..."

"What are you two talking about?" Chan asks, exiting the kitchen and coming over to see what his parents are going on about. He glances at the card and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. It's a normal Christmas card. A red trimming with large white curling letters that read Happy Holidays. There is a picture of two young men with wide smiles on their faces. Their arms are wrapped around one another and their eyes shine with joy. Under the photo is a text box that reads from Seungcheol & Jihoon. "Is this?" Chan questions.

Jeonghan nods his head, "It's your Uncles Seungcheol and Jihoon..." 

"Wow..." Chan says, "They're...they're so young..."

Joshua nods, "They look good together. Don't they?" Chan opens his mouth to say something when he is cut off by a loud knock on the door. "That should be Cheol and Hansollie..." Jeonghan murmurs under his breath. He walks over to the door and peeks through the window before unlocking the door and greeting Hansol. "Hi, kid," Jeonghan says, "Merry Christmas."

"Hello, uncle," Hansol says with a bright smile, "Merry Christmas!" He has a bunch of bags in his hands filled with presents. "Where's your dad?" Jeonghan asks as he takes the bag from his hands. Chan comes over to help his appa out, grabbing it from him and bringing it to where the tree is in the living room. "Parking the car," Hansol says, "He'll be here soon." He steps inside the house, slipping off his shoes before being pulled into a tight embrace by Jeonghan. The older grips him tightly and pats him on the back, "You look so much like them..."

"Um...thanks?" Hansol says in a confused tone, "Who are you talking about?"

"Your parents," Chan states.

"My parents?" Hansol questions, still not understanding what is going on. Jeonghan releases the boy before shutting the door and locking it behind him. The two make their way into the living room side by side. Chan looks at Joshua, "Show hyung the card, dad..." 

"What card?" Hansol asks, "Hi, Uncle Shua."

Joshua smiles, "Hello, Hansol. How are you doing?"

"Good," Hansol says, "Confused, but good."

Joshua laughs a bit before stretching out his hand and passing the card to the young man, "We just got this in the mail. Jeonghan couldn't help but get a bit emotional..." Hansol takes the card and looks down at it. His eyes widen and he stares at the card in surprise. "Oh, my goodness," Hansol murmurs under his breath. His eyes take in the picture and he brushes his finger against Jihoon's cheek within the photo. "Appa..." Hansol murmurs. 

"It's from fifty years ago," Jeonghan says, "Cheol and Hoon were trying to send it to us but it got lost in the mail. It surprisingly showed up today." 

"They look so happy," Hansol comments, "I haven't seen Dad smile like that in years..." Joshua and Jeonghan nod their heads in agreement, noticing exactly what the young man is pointing out. It's not that Seungcheol doesn't smile. He does. It's just different. The way he smiles now doesn't hold anything to the way he smiled back then. The way he smiled with Jihoon by his side. Just then, there's a loud knocking on the door. Hansol's eyes widen and he glances over at Joshua, "That has to be my dad. He can't see this card."

"Why not?" Chan asks in a confused tone.

"I have the same question. I think Cheol would love to see it," Jeonghan says.

"It's Christmas time," Hansol says, "It was a special time for him and appa. I don't want him to get all emotional because of it. Please. I really think it would be best to not show him. 

Joshua sighs and slowly nods his head, "If that's what you want..." Hansol passes the card back to Joshua, who takes it and slips it back into the envelope. He sticks it in between the other envelopes still sitting on the side desk. Jeonghan purses his lips together, watching as Joshua hides the card, not liking that he has to hide something like this from his best friend. Chan goes to open the door, unlocking it and greeting his uncle Seungcheol. "Merry Christmas, Channie!" Seungcheol says with a soft smile on his lips, "How are you doing?"

"Good," Chan answers, "Come on in." Seungcheol steps inside and kicks off his shoes before calling out a loud greeting to his two friends. "Merry Christmas, Jeonghan and Joshua," Seungcheol says.

"Merry Christmas, Cheol," Jeonghan smiles, "Come sit down." Seungcheol nods his head and makes his way over to plop in one of the couches. Everyone else does the same before falling completely silent. Jeonghan, Joshua, Chan, and Hansol all exchange wary glances. They're not trying to give Seungcheol any hints about what's going on, but it's a lot easier said than done. Even the best secret keepers act a bit squirmish in front of the person that they're trying to hide the secret from. Seungcheol eyebrows raise in confusion, taking notice of the awkward silence. He opens his mouth to comment on it when he is cut off by Chan shooting to his feet. "Do you want something to drink, Uncle?" Chan chirps loudly. Seungcheol blinks in surprise and slowly nods his head. Chan flashes him a weirdly large smile before scampering off into the other room. "I raised him to be too smart..." Jeonghan mutters, "Running was a good idea..."

"What was that, Han?" Seungcheol asks.

"Uh...nothing," Jeonghan blurts out quickly, "How are you doing, best friend of mine?"

"Good," Seungcheol says, "You."

"Good!" Jeonghan exclaims, "Right, Shua?!"

"Yup! We're all good!" Joshua says. Seungcheol slowly nods his head and glances over at Hansol, who purposefully avoids his father's gaze. "How are you doing, Hansol?" Joshua asks.

"Good, uncle! Thanks for asking," Hansol states in a stiff tone. 

"Oh, here comes, Channie!" Jeonghan says as he glances over to the kitchen where he can see Chan peeking his head around the corner. Seungcheol looks over at him and Chan quickly pulls his head back. He walks back into the living room with a clear glass of water in it. "Here you go!" Chan says, placing it in front of Seungcheol.

"Thanks, Chan-ah," Seungcheol says, grabbing it and taking a sip.

"So..." Chan says, taking a seat, "What did I miss?" 

"Nothing much," Joshua says, "We were just talking about how we're all doing. How are you doing, Chan?"

"Oh, me? I'm doing-," Chan starts, only to be cut off by Seungcheol.

"Let me guess? Good?" Seungcheol questions, "What's up with you all? Why are you avoiding any real conversation?"

"What are you talking about, Cheol?" Jeonghan asks, "Everything is perfectly normal."

"Yeah, right," Seungcheol says with furrowed brows, "I'm not a gullible teen, Jeonghan. Did you think I wouldn't notice? You all have said the word good at least ten times in the past minute. So, what is it? What are you all hiding from me?" The four all fall silent again, glancing at one another, trying to determine if they should tell Seungcheol or not. The man has a firm look on his face, waiting for the, to give him a good explanation. Hansol sighs after a couple more minutes have passed, "Just show him, uncle."

"Are you sure?" Joshua asks.

Hansol nods, "Dad can be stubborn when he wants to be. This is one of those situations." Joshua nods his head before standing up and going back over to the table. He ruffles through them before finding the envelope again. He grabs it and passes it to Seungcheol. "What is it?" Seungcheol asks.

"Open it and find out," Joshua answers. Seungcheol shrugs before turning the envelope around and lifting the flap up. He pulls out the card from inside and looks at it. His shoulders tense and his eyes become entirely focused on the card. "Jihoonie..." Seungcheol whispers.

"I didn't want you to get upset, dad," Hansol says, "That's the only reason that I asked everyone else to hide it..." Seungcheol nods his head, even though it's pretty clear that he isn't really registering anything that his son has just said to him. "H-how did you get this?" Seungcheol asks, looking over at Jeonghan and Joshua.

"It just came in the mail this morning," Jeonghan says," If you remember..."

"The card we sent you got lost that year..." Seungcheol finishes.

"Exactly," Jeonghan says. Seungcheol nods his head, his eyes still locked on the card in his hands. The others watch him, wondering what could be going on his head. "I...I'll be right back," Seungcheol says, getting onto his feet and walking towards the front door.

"Wait!" Joshua calls out, "Where are you going?" He doesn't receive an answer as Seungcheol quickly exits the house, leaving the four to stare at the shut door. "Don't worry," Hansol mutters under his breath, "He'll be okay. He just needs some time with appa..."

——————————————————

Seungcheol holds the card in his hand as he walks through the grass towards a gray stone sticking out of the ground. He has a long jacket over his body and a large scarf wrapped around his neck. His cheeks are a tad bit red and his breath can be seen in a stream of hot air. He comes to a stop in front of a large gravestone that reads Lee Jihoon on it. Seungcheol looks down at it and lets out a shaky breath. He blinks a couple of times, his eyes having become watery on the car ride to the cemetery. "H-hi, Hoonie," Seungcheol chokes out. A shaky smile gracing his face as a single tear drips down his face. He chuckles a bit, quickly wiping it. "Sorry, sorry," Seungcheol says, "I know you would probably hit me for being so silly and crying like this. Especially today...but I can't help it." He bends down so that he is in a squat position. He leans the card against the grave before reaching a hand out to place it on the stone. "It got sent to Han and Shua's place today," Seungcheol explains, "Fifty years late. You went crazy back then when you found out, but I'm actually really glad that it got lost in the mail. I got to see your beautiful face beside mine on another Christmas card." More tears start to flood from Seungcheol's eyes. He wipes at them, but as soon as he does another replaces it. He sniffles a bit and lets out a breath, "I really miss you, Jihoonie...my Jihoonie..." He presses his eyes shut and lets out a small whimper as he lets his head hang down. Tears leak from his tight squeezed eyes and his entire body shakes as he cries. He remains like this for a bit, unable to stop the wave of emotions crashing down on him. When he finally is able to gain a bit of composure, he wipes his eyes and looks at the gravestone again. "You probably find me ridiculous," Seungcheol says, "I'm an old man crying at the foot of his husband's grave on Christmas Day. It's pathetic. Isn't it, Jihoonie?" He laughs at himself a bit before standing again. He sniffles a bit and wipes away the remainder of his tears. He takes a deep breath and sticks his hand into his pockets. "It's been years and I still feel lost without you," Seungcheol says, "I'm doing my best, but I am still human and every once and awhile I can't help myself from coming here, and becoming a crying mess. He places his hand on the gravestone one more time and lets out another shaky breath. "I won't bother you much longer with my silly tears and weeping. Knowing you, you're probably shouting at me to go back to Hansollie and the others. And I will! Just let me say one more thing to you...I'm really glad that card came, Jihoonie" Seungcheol says, "Even though I don't really look like it. It's just that Christmas hasn't been the same without you. And in a way...that card brought you back for the holidays. That's all I have to say." He sticks his hand back into his pocket and smiles as he looks at the gravestone. "I'll come back and visit you soon," Seungcheol says, "Have a Merry Christmas, my Jihoonie. I love you..."

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Did you like it? I made a comment a while ago about how Hansol is always Jicheol's child in stories and I legit just did it myself. Anyway, I hope that you liked reading my one-shot. I have two more Xmas themed ones for you, so please look forward to that. If you enjoyed this one-shot and want to see more from me, please send me your support through the comments and checking out my Kpop one-shots. Until the next one! Have a happy holiday, Carats!


End file.
